In the trial that followed, he was sentenced to two years in prison; as a result of the conviction, Albania's Central Electoral Commission declared Beleris's mandate invalid, and decided to hold new elections.
In the first semester of 1994 he went to Cyprus where he attended seminars on the Greek language and on thermohydraulic installations, organised by the "Pancyprian Forum for the Aid of Northern Epirus".
[5] On 10 April 1994, an armed group attacked the Albanian army's recruit training centre in the village of Peshkëpi, Dropull, 4 km from the Greek-Albanian border.
[9] On 6 October 1994, the organization "Mavi" (Northern Epirus Liberation Front), in a proclamation in the newspaper Eleftherotypia, claimed responsibility for the deadly attack in Peshkëpi.
The Kathimerini journalist Stavros Tzimas in his book In the constellation of nationalism said: "There was no doubt that the arrested men were planning to attack a military target, which was the Longos camp, a short distance from the border.
"[11] Beleris and other arrested faced charges for misdemeanors and, after their appeal, they were tried behind closed doors and were handed sentences of imprisonment for 18 up to 20 months for illegally owning guns.
[12] Nine years after the incident, the Police of Gjirokastër tried to reopen the investigations, but even at that time they did not have the support of the Greek authorities to provide information about Beleris and his associates.
[13] He has been identified as the MAVI member who under the nickname "Fanis", discussed with journalist Stavros Tzimas his participation in the MAVI-related Episkopi and Longos incidents; as well as the group's 2001 terrorist attack with a handgrenade in Peristeri, Athens, against Greeks of Albania cooperating with the Albanian state, which included Vangjel Tavo.
[19] Beleris run again for the municipality of Himarë, in the 2023 local elections, as a candidate of the centre-right political coalition Together We Win, led by Ilar Mehta and Sali Berisha.
[21] In the same interview, he referred to him with derogatory terms, accusing him of being functionally illiterate, chauvinist, and dangerous for the Albanian state, since he had publicly promised to hellenize Himarë if elected.
The arrest came after allegations made by the imprisoned Beleris in the fall of 2023, that he facilitated the sale of beachfront properties so that certain individuals could benefit from "strategic investor" status.
[35] Following the Court of Appeal's decision not to reduce his sentence, which meant that Beleris would remain in prison until around October 2024, problems arose regarding his participation in the European Parliament.
Politiko reported that: "Officials from New Democracy, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, admit there is currently no way for him to perform all of his political duties.
"[36] In June 2024, Beleris was listed among the 23 most eccentric new MEPs in the European Parliament by Politico Europe; along with Afroditi Latinopoulou and Galato Alexandraki.
He added: "Beleri with three criminal convictions, two for ethnic issues on both sides of the border and one now for electoral corruption, creates a handicap or a stalemate, not easily overcome.